Yes, This Will Be On The Test Leslie S. Rose

Yes, This Will Be On the Test

Monday, October 10, 2016

One of my favorite parts of Comic Con is Nerd HQ an offsite venue which is the brainchild of Zachary Levi. Besides providing a great spot to connect with other pop culture nerds, he hosts Conversations for a Cause. Proceeds from these celeb convos support the charity Operation Smile, an international medical charity that provides free surgeries for children in developing countries who are born with cleft lip, cleft palate, or other facial deformities.

I was lucky enough this year to score tickets to a convo with the funny, talented, and completely genuine Zach Levi as well as one with Scott Bakula who played Zach's dad on the series Chuck. Both conversations were super uplifting and positive.

My "find" of this year was stumbling across the Entertainment Weekly offsite panels in a small park next to the marina. I hit the jackpot scoring front row seats to see the Agents of Shield

and

Nathan Fillion and Alan Tudyk talking about their hilarious web series CON MAN.

By far the best part of Comic Con was cheering on friends, Stacey Lee and Elizabeth Briggs, exquisite YA authors, at their panel on diversity in YA lit. They were brilliant and insightful.

The shopping on the convention floor is the essence of temptation. My favorite purchase of Comic Con 2016 was of course, Star Wars merch!

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

I have the good fortune to live in a family of artists. My son is an actor, my daughter a writer, their dad a scenic designer, and his husband a graphic artist.

Chats around the dinner table drift to subtext, intention, symbolism, and artistic risk-taking.

The winner of this summer's boldest choice goes to my son, Cameron Rose. He is part of the repertory theater company, Theatricum Botanicum, in L.A., founded by Will Geer. This summer he performs as Claude in Moliere's, Imaginary Invalid.

Claude is a fop, full of pretense and entitlement. So you're picturing something like this...

...right?

Now add to the over the top wig and chunky heels Cam's acting choice. His characterization of Claude is a man influenced by the chickens he grew up with on the family farm, embued with the physicality of head-pecking, squawks and wing flaps.

And it works...to the point of hilarity.

The costumed visual would have been enough to incite giggles, but taking the farce to poultry proportions took guts. It could have fallen on its face and been "pooh-poohed" as too silly, but a slew of thumbs up reviews validated the bold choice.

Bravo!

As a writer, I'm taking a page from Cam's book. Take the risk. Don't settle into a comfort zone of storytelling. Stretch, reach, and go to a place that might not be in my wheelhouse...yet.

The payoff just might be a delicious chicken dinner.

What has inspired you to bust through that glass ceiling in your writing?

Sunday, July 31, 2016

I have officially joined the ranks of the unplugged - cable TV unplugged. It was a choice that made me break out in hives at first. Whatever will I do without my weekly installment of Agents of Shield?

Alas, my worries were unfounded. As a "streamer," I had to wait a smidge of time for Coulson and company, but when they did blip onto onto Netflix, I blissfully binge watched the entire season in a swoop.

I embraced and discovered shows that I missed when I was plugged in. Here are a scant few of my faves:

(How can you not love a show set in West Covina with musical numbers?)

and the list goes on...

and on...

and on!

There are more shows at my fingertips than I can possibly catch up with.

Soooooo happy

Have you switched to streaming only? What gold nuggets have you discovered or finally caught up with?

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

There is nothing I enjoy more than cheering for the lovely work of friends in the writing community. This month my fangirl meter is in the red.

Here are some shiny new releases I triple dog dare you not to ADORE. I'm going alphabetically by author because I could NEVER choose a fave among these kickin' stories.

Future Shock by Elizabeth Briggs is a nail biting sci-fi adventure that will make you run into the garage and burn your time machine.

Fight the future. Face the inevitable.

South of Sunshine by Dana Elmendorf is an endearing and courageous LGBT love story set against the backdrop of often narrow-minded southern mentality.

In a town like Sunshine, Kaycee knows better than to fall for a girl.

Soul Conquered by Lisa Gail Green is the culmination of her OF ANGELS AND DEMONS trilogy. I never thought I'd cheer for a demon, but this story deftly blurs the lines between good and evil.

What do you do when following your heart could lead to the apocalypse?

In Real Lifeby Jessica Love makes me want to repair the time machine I destroyed after reading FUTURE SHOCK and go back in time to encourage my teen self to be truthful about my affections. AND IT'S SET IN VEGAS!

2. Enigmatic mentors extraordinaire: Love Yoda, do I. Obi Wan is always good in a pinch.

1. Luke Skywalker – Luke Skywalker - Luke Skywalker:

When the first movie of the saga released, I was leaving home to go to college.
Identifying with Luke’s foray into the real world resonated with me. We came of
age together, fighting the dark side and emerging with a renewed sense of self.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

This year on Veteran's Day, I'm particularly reflective about my father. He passed away a few years ago and one of my greatest regrets was that I never pressed him for stories about his experiences during World War II.

He was only eighteen when my grandparents encouraged him to enlist in the army to discourage him from entering the priesthood. He spent the majority of his time during the war in the Philippines. The only story he shared was about hiding in a palm tree for days while the enemy marched below.

I missed a golden opportunity for the untold stories he must have had tucked away.

If you have a veteran or any tribe elder still in your life, don't make the mistake I did.

Sunday, October 4, 2015

Before I start a new project or dive into a revision, I need tangible inspiration to wrap or rewrap my head around the characters and the world I'm painting.

Playlists are a HUGE inroad for me to connect with the emotional landscape of a story. Since I'm a visual girl, I also need some talismans and touchstones to sink into the tale.

Here are some of the pieces charging my battery for my current WIP, a Rapunzel retell from the prince's POV.

A floor plan of her tower.

A Rapunzel ornament from the Disney version.

A ring my Rapunzel might wear.

I'm currently obsessed with making character diaries with both visuals and character write ups. Here's a collage for one of my supporting characters. Thank you Santino Fontana (The Prince in the recent Broadway production of Cinderella and the voice of Hans in Frozen) for inspiring this particular character with your talent and roguish good looks.

What are some of the things y'all do to get into the "zone" of your projects?

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

I am not a foodie, unless a custom order at In and Out burger qualifies. Food networks aren't usual fare on the Rose airwaves, but I do admit if a cooking show happens to be on, I'm inexplicably drawn to the artistry of the process.

Recent events have allowed me a glimpse into the foodie world and now I TOTALLY get it.

I have entered the realm of:

Last night my world was forever changed when I ate at Gordon Ramsay's Steak House at the Paris in Las Vegas.

Want a bite?

Start with the Ferris Wheel of meat and choose your cut.

Yes, it's real meat.

Fun fact: Our waiter said they keep the cuts on display for about two days until they start to go brown. The wheel hangs out in the fridge between showings for all of you freaking out about potential weird meat odor during the presentation.

Segue way to the salad. Bacon wheels and green goddess dressing - sigh.

See the breads up there? Every one of them is a different gourmet treat like bacon roll, mushroom roll, cheese bread, lemon focaccia. Even the butter was otherworldly delish.

And now for Gordon Ramsay's signature dish - Beef Wellington. I'm not a rare steak person, but this was so melt-in-your-mouth crazy good, I went for it.

They really went overboard with the veggies - NOT - so sides were called for. Citrus glazed asparagus and life-changing, ginger-garlic glazed shiitake mushrooms and leeks.

My daughter hit the jackpot. She waited for a zillion hours in line to see the STAR WARS, FORCE AWAKENS panel. Not only did Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, and Harrison Ford show up, but director J.J. Abrams treated the audience to donuts AND walked them to a second venue where everyone got a lightsaber and free concert of Star Wars music played by the San Diego Symphony.

Yes, I'm jealous.

Fun fact: There are super cool venues and activities around Comic Con beside the convention itself.

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About Me

I love writing young adult fiction and am both a fan and member of the SCBWI. I'm a Bruin through and through with a BA and MFA in Theatre Arts from UCLA where I also taught design for many years. These days I hang out with the wee folk, teaching 1st grade.